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<title>Model Validation [Enterprise Architect User Guide]</title>

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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Model Validation</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_TextIndentedL1"><img src="model_validation.png" width="198" height="100" border="0" alt="model_validation"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">You use Model Validation to check UML models against known <a href="rules_reference.htm">UML rules</a> (which you identify in <a href="configuring_model_validation.htm">configuring validation</a>) as well as any constraints defined within the model, using the Object Constraint Language (OCL). You can run Model Validation against a single UML element, a diagram or an entire package.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Validating a UML:</span></p>
<ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 30px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-weight: bold;">Element</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> validates the element and its children, features (attributes and operations) and relationships (connectors)</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-weight: bold;">Diagram</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> validates the diagram itself (for correctness) as well as any elements and connectors within the diagram</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-weight: bold;">Package</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> validates the package and all subpackages, elements, connectors and diagrams within it.</span></li>
</ul>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To use Model Validation, follow the steps below:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Select the package, diagram or element either from the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Project Browser </span><span class="f_NumberedList">or within an open diagram.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Project | Model Validation | Validate Selected</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> </span><span class="f_NumberedList">menu option, or press</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Alt]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[V]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Enterprise Architect performs the validation, and displays the results in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Output</span><span class="f_BodyText"> window. To display the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Output</span><span class="f_BodyText"> window, select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">View | Output</span><span class="f_BodyText"> menu option.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">While performing the validation, Enterprise Architect also displays a progress window containing the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Cancel Validation</span><span class="f_BodyText"> button, which enables you to cancel the validation process at any time.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="modelvalidationprogressdialog.png" width="241" height="74" border="0" alt="ModelValidationProgressDialog"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Alternatively, select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Project | Model Validation | Cancel Validation</span><span class="f_BodyText"> menu option.</span></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Example Model Violations</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The following UML diagram contains several basic violations.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="modelvalidationexample.png" width="515" height="465" border="0" alt="ModelValidationExample"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><a name="modelvalidationoutput"></a><span class="f_BodyText">If you run Model Validation on this diagram, Enterprise Architect displays the following violations in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Output</span><span class="f_BodyText"> window:</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="modelvalidationexampleoutput.png" width="791" height="154" border="0" alt="ModelValidationExampleOutput"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The validation results show that the diagram:</span></p>
<ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 30px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1">Contains a UML ExpansionRegion (</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">ExpansionRegion1</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1">) with an invalid value for its 'mode' property (in this case, the valid values are </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">iterative</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1">, </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">parallel</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> or </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">stream</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1">)</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1">Contains an invalid self-generalization on </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">Class2</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> (UML elements cannot be self-generalized)</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1">Contains an OCL violation for the anonymous Association (between </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">Class2</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1"> and </span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">Object1</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1">)</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist1">Contains a UML ExceptionHandler (</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1" style="font-style: italic;">ExceptionHandler1</span><span class="f_Bulletlist1">) that is missing its child input ObjectNode.</span></li>
</ul>
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<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">If you double-click on an error in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Output</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> window, you select the diagram element that the error message refers to.</span></p>
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